Abigail Adams

Abigail Adams was born as Abigail Smith on November 11, 1744 in Waymouth Massachuetts. She was the second of four children of the Rev. William and Elizabeth Quincy.

Her heath was delicate, so she never went to school. Her materal grandmother, Mrs. John Quincy, had a great influence in her chacter and education. When Abigail Adams was twenty years old, in 1764, she was married to John Adams, the future second U.S. President. Abigail and John had five children.... Two daughters, and three sons.

One of her sons became the sixth President of the U.S. After 1801, Abigail spent the rest of her life in Quincy, Massachusetts, and she died on October 28, 1818. She was 74 years old when she died of typhoid fever.

"Her father, William Smith (1707-1783), was a liberal Congregationalist, who often exchanged pulpits with his friend, Ebenezer Gay. Smith was an Arminian. He did not preach the doctrines of predestination, original sin, or the full divinity of Christ. Rather, he emphasized the importance of reason and morality in religious life. This simple faith his daughter Abigail confessed when she was received into membership in the Weymouth church on June 24, 1759."

"John and Abigail Adams were active members of the First Parish Church in Quincy, which was already unitarian in doctrine by 1753. Although she did not sign the membership book (John did), she attended the church, supported it, and showed active concern and care for its ministry. She is a celebrated figure in her congregation's tradition. Abigail's theology is clearly stated in her correspondence."